Irish Examiner view: Bumpy road for BusConnects

Radical thinking required

Boreenmanna Road neighbours and friends, Molly Crossan, left, and Katie Walsh, tying a yellow ribbon to one of the trees on Boreenmanna Road which may be felled under the current BusConnects proposals.

When Taoiseach Micheál Martin took time out from his Prague visit to comment on the €600m BusConnects plan for Cork, he was addressing an issue which threatens to divide the city. And, at the moment, those who are evangelising for the 12 new strategic transport corridors which would revolutionise the ways in which we commute have a distance to travel to win hearts and minds.

The proposals could see 933 properties impacted, the loss of 1,039 on-street parking spaces, and the felling of over 1,400 trees. This would make way for just over 90km of bus lanes and bus priority lanes and 112km of cycle facilities.